The entire car was totaled, the guard and driver up front were charred.

'I need to get out of here first,'

I clicked my tongue in annoyance, grabbing Amanda and hauling her out of the destroyed car.

Out of the corner of my eye. A group of red monkeys, each the size of an adult human, were cackling like maniacs, hurling fireballs across the asphalt.

This wasn't an assassination but a full-blown monster outbreak.

Or was it?

Either way, I needed to get out of here—fast.

SWOOOSH!

My legs throbbed as I infused them with Qi, each pulse making me faster, lighter. I used the panicked crowd as cover, slipping through narrow alleys and backstreets.

Yeah, I could wreck them. But why prove I'm powerful when there was no need to.

Besides, this was the outer district—Seekers would be moving in soon enough to handle things. No need for me to make a scene just yet.

More explosions echoed around me, each one a reminder that this outbreak wasn't just a few strays—it was dozens, maybe even hundreds of monsters.

Great. And of course, I'd skipped my Tower lessons, so I had no idea what the hell we were dealing with.

"Amanda, what are those things?" I inquired the expert.

"Those are Flaming Monkeys," Amanda explained, her eyes scanning the burning cars on the road.

"They usually appear on the fourth floor and above. Each one is about E-rank in strength on its own, but in packs… they're super deadly. They like to throw fireballs, and that makes them a serious threat.

"Hold on," I muttered, changing the topic. "Do you hear that?"

Amanda paused, her brow furrowing. "Yeah… "

"HELP!"

My head snapped toward the sound, and I spotted a high school girl, judging by the uniform, trapped and tossed around like a ragdoll by those monstrous creatures.

Her legs were a little scorched, though not beyond repair.

My eyes squinted, ready to ignore it like I usually did, but then she looked my way—pain and fear swimming in her eyes. A tear slid down her cheek, and for some reason, it made me want to protect her.

'Damn it, why does she have to be pretty,' I muttered under my breath.

"Stay here."

I shot forward, moving like a cliche hero rushing to save the beautiful princess out of the goodness of my heart.

The monsters noticed me instantly. Their grins widened, claws raised, and fireballs began streaking toward me like missiles.

"You think that's enough to stop me?" I shouted, dodging fireballs and flying debris like it was nothing.

With my enhanced senses on, that boring, by‑the‑book attack was basically child's play.

Two of them lunged to intercept me, their fists blazing with orange fire as they tried to cut me off.

"Bring it on," I said, and a second dagger snapped into my left hand .

I sidestepped the first punch so clean it might've offended gravity; the fire hissed past my arm and licked the air where I'd been.

No hesitation. My right dagger slashed low, which opened the first one from hip to ribs.

The second lunged with everything it had; my left dagger answered, a neat, brutal arc that split tendon and bone.

Before I could even take a breather, a volley of fireballs streaked straight for me.

Most people would have backed off—but I didn't. I surged forward, dagger in both hands.

The monkey swung the girl up like a shield—classic move.

Too bad for it — I was already a step ahead. I hooked an arm under the girl, scooped her up in one motion, and my dagger snapped out into a long blade to deal the finishing blow.

One clean sweep across the neck and the monster went down.

"You alright?" I asked, keeping my hands dangerously close to her chest, though she was too panicked to notice. Honestly, I was the insane one—always letting intrusive thoughts win while chaos swirled around me.

"I… I'm fine. Thank you, Mr. " she stammered, wincing as the pain from her scorched legs .Even in this state, it was impossible not to notice how pretty she still looked.

How could a human have eyelashes that long, curling like they were sculpted to make her look like a goddess?

Not that I had time to admire it.

More monkeys were charging at me, screeching and hurling fireballs. I tightened my grip on her under chest and bolted away.

More people started shouting for my help, probably thinking that I would rescue them. Sorry, folks—but 'hero of justice' isn't exactly on my resume.

"Why are you running?" she protested, squirming in my arms. "You're strong enough to beat those things and save them!"

"That's only your opinion," I kept moving. "I can't fight properly while holding you. You can't even walk on your own. Besides, I already burned most of my strength back there."

Full disclosure: I could've wiped out hundreds of these monsters, if I actually cared to go all out."

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. The rest of the way, she stayed silent, gripping me tight as we vaulted over trash cans and other obstacles.

Finally, we slipped into an alley where Amanda was already waiting. She was a Seeker too, so handling herself in this mess was easy.

"Boss, we need to get out of here fast. I just realized… this is a Tower Echo."

I glanced at Amanda as we ran away.

"Wait… what's this Echo thing? Explain it to me—fast."

She didn't slow down, keeping pace.

"A Tower Echo is basically a preview of the Tower itself," she too a deep breath "It manifests randomly. Anything caught inside gets trapped when the real Tower appears. Most people don't survive past the first hour."

I swallowed, my legs working harder. "Yeah, we really need to get out of —"

My words caught in my throat as the sky suddenly turned dark. No moon, no stars—yet we could still see everything around us with clarity.

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